The present invention relates to the field of door hardware, and more particularly concerns track and arm holder assemblies for doors.
Door motion controllers include track and arm door holder assemblies. Track and arm door holder assemblies are often used to hold open doors that have automatic door closers. An automatic door closer applies force to the door to push the door to the closed position. A door holder assembly holds the door open when the door is opened past a certain threshold point. The door holder must overcome the force exerted by the closer, and then release when additional force is provided to close the door.
A track and arm door holder includes a track assembly and an arm assembly. The track assembly attaches to the top of each door, either on the surface of the door or in a recessed area in the top edge of the door. The arm assembly is attached between the door frame header and the track assembly. An end of the arm assembly attaches to a sliding mechanism movably disposed in the track assembly. A trip lever holds the door open at a precise location which may be, for example, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, or 110 degrees open. Such an arrangement requires the track assembly and the arm assembly to be mounted in precise locations in order to fix the desired angle of opening, and frequently the assembly cannot be adjusted once the mounting is performed.
Attempts have been made to provide an adjustable hold-open mechanism for a door holder assembly. Current designs may include an expandable block with a set screw that is lodged between the walls of the track, which may be a “C” shaped channel. The expandable block relies largely on friction to fix its position, but the momentum of doors that may weigh on the order of two to three hundred pounds can dislodge this type of device. The relatively low holding strength of the block and premature wear of the channel that can result from the friction action may cause poor performance.
There are also door motion controllers that slow the motion of the door as the door approaches the fully open position and as the door begins to return to the closed position. In this arrangement, the sliding mechanism of the track assembly may include a friction assembly with a surface that rubs along a raised portion of the track at the end of the mechanism's motion. A stop determines the fully open position of the door. However, the stop frequently cannot be adjusted within the track, must be carefully placed during installation to locate the fully open position as desired.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a new door controller assembly. Ideally, the new door controller assembly will be adjustable to allow door holding over a range of opening angles and provide holding strength to prevent movement of the door from the holding position.